The Haven Book Review

Stoney Ridge Seasons

Book 2

SUMMARY:  Spring brings new life, young love, and second chances to Stoney Ridge.
     On a warm spring day, Sadie Lapp returns home to her quiet, unassertive life in Stoney Ridge after spending the winter in Ohio.
     Gideon Smucker, an awkward schoolteacher, has been in love with Sadie since childhood and eagerly awaits her return.  But does Sadie feel the same about him?
     Will Stoltz, a charming and impetuous college student, has been banished for a semester and sent to babysit endangered peregrine falcons nesting at the Lapp farm.  He'd rather be anywhere else ... until he befriends Sadie.
     As the hopes and ambitions of these three young people converge, life in Stoney Ridge may never be the same.
     Once again, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher intrigues and delights with a story that explores the bonds of friendships, family and true love in the captivating series. 

REVIEW:  Sadie is a quiet person, content to be on the outside looking in and helping the members of her community with her healing skills.  But, when she returns from helping her sister and her new husband get settled in Ohio, Sadie is not alone.  While waiting at the bus terminal, a baby is left at her feet and Sadie takes responsibility for him. Rumors start flying about Sadie being the baby's mother, leaving her feeling ostracized from her community.  Gabriel decides to help Sadie by saying he's the child's father, when he isn't, and causes even more problems.
     Meanwhile, when Sadie is having trouble getting the baby to stop crying, Will is the only on that seems to be able to calm the child, much to her dismay.  Even though he is an outsider, Sadie is drawn more and more to Will and spends more and more time with him, much to Gabriel's dismay.
     This book was different in that it never came to a clear ending regarding Sadie and her relationships with both Gabriel and Will.  I like how it left me to imagine the direction a future storyline might take.  Even though this is the second book in the Stoney Ridge series, it stands well on it's own.  The first book, The Keeper, would give you a little more background on the characters but it is not needed.  This is a good book and I'm excited to read others in this series as well.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace.   She is also the co-author of a new Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp.  Suzanne is the host of internet radio show Amish Wisdom and a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines.  She lives in California.